18-07-2025
Abu Dhabi: 2 critically ill men get new lease on life after complex robotic lung surgery
Two male residents of Abu Dhabi in their 60s, once confined to their homes and reliant on oxygen to survive, have been given a new lease on life after undergoing a robotic-assisted double lung transplant — a first-of-its-kind surgery in the Gulf and among only a few performed globally. The complex procedure, hailed as a major medical milestone, is being seen by experts as a potential turning point in the future of transplant surgery.
Both patients were battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and secondary pulmonary hypertension — progressive and life-limiting lung conditions that had left them housebound for over two years. Now, after the transplants, they have resumed daily life — one even took part in a transplant sporting event, a powerful symbol of recovery.
'These were patients who couldn't even walk to the bathroom. Now they're out with their families and look like healthy people; it's a profound transformation," said Dr Usman Ahmad, Chair of Thoracic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
Tiny incisions, massive impact
Traditional lung transplants require large incisions through the chest or sternum, often involving bone and muscle cuts that extend recovery and increase post-operation pain. In contrast, the robotic technique used in these surgeries involved just three one-centimetre ports and a small 5cm incision to remove and insert the lungs.
The robotic system, in this case a Da Vinci robot, allows surgeons to perform the critical reconnections to the heart and airways with enhanced visual precision and minimal physical trauma.
"We didn't break any bones, didn't cut through major muscles. That alone has made recovery significantly easier," said Dr Ahmad, who has spent over a decade perfecting robotic techniques in thoracic surgery.
While the operation took around eight hours, slightly longer than a traditional lung transplant, the reduced complications and faster patient recovery made the extended duration well worth it.
Precise coordination
While the robot plays a central role in these surgeries, Dr Ahmad emphasised that success comes down to precise coordination among a 30-member surgical team.
'During those eight hours, about 30 people are involved — from perfusionists running the heart-lung bypass machine, to anaesthesiologists, nurses and critical care specialists. It's one of the most complex choreographies in medicine,' he explained.
Both patients were supported by Veno-Arterial ECMO, a life-sustaining system that temporarily replaces heart and lung function during the surgery — a crucial measure given the severity of their illnesses.
According to Dr Ahmad, the robotic transplant programme at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has been years in the making, building on the hospital's experience with robotic kidney transplants and a rapidly growing lung transplant programme that relaunched in 2022. Since then, it has completed over 60 lungtransplants, many for international patients.
Globally, robotic lung transplants remains rare, with only three or four medical centres attempting it so far. 'It's not that the region is behind — the world itself is just beginning to move in this direction. But what we've done here puts the UAE on the frontier of transplant innovation.'
High risk, high reward
The robotic approach is not suitable for every patient. It requires careful case selection and can only be performed at centres with both the technological capacity and surgical expertise to execute it safely. 'It's a high-stakes operation, but the rewards, in terms of patient outcomes, are immense,' said Dr Ahmad.
Dr. Ahmad credited the UAE's integrated national transplant network for the swift turnaround, noting that both patients underwent surgery within just two months of being listed — an exceptionally short wait compared to global averages. He said this was made possible through regional collaboration and streamlined logistics, allowing for faster, better-matched organ allocation.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi now plans to expand robotic technology into even more complex areas, including transplant and cancer surgeries.
'We've already performed combined heart-lung, lung-liver, and kidney-heart transplants,' said Dr Ahmad. 'Now, we're aiming to bring minimally invasive methods to the most complex cases.'
Reflecting on the transformative impact of the procedures, he added: 'These patients become part of our lives. Seeing them return to movement, to breath, to life — that's why we do what we do.'
